Manhattan gets new area code

From Crains:

Manhattan is getting a new area code—332—starting [today].

Residents of the borough have almost exhausted the telephone number sequences for the 646 area code, the last of the available three-digit codes for Manhattan.

The second set of digits in every phone number combination is known as the "prefix," explained John Manning, senior director at the North American Numbering Plan Administration, which administers and assigns telephone numbers in the United States. And there is a finite quantity of 800 prefixes appointed to every area code.

The newest code, 332, will serve roughly 8 million residents, meaning Manhattanites will be covered for at least 30 years, Manning said.